One factor that can change this trend is new businesses relocating into the area.

Financial obligations (bank payments + rent) as a percentage of disposable income is at a 40-year low.The average household wealth of the bottom 50% of households is at a historic high...there is no comparable period whatsoever.If you back out real estate gains, net worth is over 100% higher than pre-pandemic levels for the bottom 50% of households.Bank deposit balances of the the bottom 50% are $10,000+ and $3,000 above pre-pandemic levels, and kept increasing in 4Q21 after 3 quarters of increasing inflation and lower fiscal support payments.Government unemployment insurance benefit payments have trended to near zero.Nominal wage growth for the lowest income quartile is growing at the same pace as inflation.2020 had large gains in real wage growth; so, even though real wage growth is severely negative for the past year, the 2-year trend is break even.If real wage growth is -1%, it would take ~6 years to burn off the excess savings of the average bottom 50% of households.

That's not going to be a trendy "hip" market like Austin.St.

It's difficult trying to get comps; I use some websites but I know Trend is the best.

Why is it so trendy right now?

Another major factor that helps keep expenses low is I avoided student loans by getting a full ride from merit based scholarships by being a nerd in high school.A lot of my friends (with what I assume are similar paying jobs) are renting nice apartments in trendy areas, buying large houses in the suburbs, getting nice cars and shiny objects, going on what I consider to be lavish vacations, or the biggest financial killer of them all - moving into Manhattan. 

@Jimmy O'Connor I noticed that only trendy bars and coffee shops was one of your top mentions… I think you should also consider school district - at least when it comes to building a rental portfolio in these areas.

Arcadia is trendy and a great place to live/own, but very pricey. 

It will become the budget-friendly option for anyone wanting to be in what will become a trendy location in the East Valley in one of the hottest growth markets in the country.

I decided to branch out a little more with the design and incorporated shiplap wall, herringbone concrete floors and truly embraced "modern farmhouse" trend. I